


I Find My Direction in You

by a_little_bit_larry



Category: Glee, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/F, F/M, I'm not really sure guys this just sorta happened I'm so sorry, M/M, One Direction/Glee Crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2014-01-01
Packaged: 2018-01-04 13:52:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1081776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_little_bit_larry/pseuds/a_little_bit_larry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Liam are twins, Louis wears bright red pants, Zayn is kind of a hermit and Niall couldn't kiss his ex in public. Oh, and they're all in Lima, Ohio.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the first two chapters of this a year and a half ago. And recently the rumor was going around that the boys were in talks to join the glee cast so I thought, what better time than now to publish this? I’m very excited about it and have a lot of it already written/planned out. So here ya go.
> 
> Set around season 3 of Glee, give or take bit.

As Liam stood in front of McKinley High with his brother close behind, he asked himself once again how he’d ended up so many miles away from his home in Wolverhampton… in Ohio of all places.

Well, there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. He shook the thoughts from his heavy head and shifted his backpack on his shoulder, glancing at his curly-haired fraternal twin. Early August heat was burning down on the two boys, but Liam knew that the sweat dripping down his brothers face wasn’t all weather induced.

“Ready to go, Haz?” Liam said with a worried but hopefully determined smile on his face.  
  
He was worried because Harry didn’t seem to be taking the transition to the states as well as he was. He was extremely moody and hadn’t smiled since they left England. Since they’d moved, Liam had caught Harry moping about his bedroom, sometimes shuffling about the boxes that still needed to be unpacked or walking back to his room with a box of crackers while his headphones were securely shoved in his ears. He hardly ever came down for dinner and when Liam tried to talk to him, Harry usually just mumbled and asked him to shut the door on his way out. It had only seemed to get worse the closer they got to starting school.

Outside the doors of the school, Harry just nodded and started to sullenly walk along beside his brother into the decorated red and white building.

They had first period English together and they both thought it was a rather silly class, occasionally glancing at each other with confused and skeptical faces. Liam even had to hide his sniggering a few times at some of the things said by the teacher. American English was strange. But after first period, they were both on their own until their lunch period at 11:35.

Liam clapped Harry on the back, sending his brother off to French with a few comforting words about how easy the class would be since Harry already spoke the language relatively well. As Harry walked in the opposite direction, Liam headed off to his chemistry class alone, almost running into some poor lad in a wheel chair that he hadn’t seen… who looked like he was covered in… blue slush?

This place was looking like a danger zone already.

*****************

Chemistry turned out to be as incredibly boring as Liam thought it was going to be. Science related subjects had never been a favorite of the tall British boy’s back when they lived over seas and that hadn’t changed in the month they’d been in America. 

About ten minutes into the class, after taking attendance and having it delivered to the front office by a small, black haired boy, the instructor stood up and cleared her throat.

“Hello class and welcome to chemistry!”

Liam internally rolled his eyes. This short, blonde woman was much too enthusiastic. It couldn’t be healthy.

“Now I recognize most of you, but some of the faces out there look shiny and new so it seems appropriate to go around and introduce ourselves! How about we all give our names, where we’re from if it’s not Lima, and 2 facts about what makes us interesting! Doesn’t that sound fun? I’ll start!”  
  
At the rate this woman was going, Liam was going to start beating his head into his desk very quickly to dull the annoyance she was bringing on. And it took _a lot_ to annoy Liam as he was usually very peaceful and respectable in situations.

“I am Emily Laney, but you guys will just call me Ms. Laney. Hmm, what was next? Oh yes, I am originally from Columbus, Ohio. I moved here to be close to a few cousins of mine and to teach. And two interesting facts about myself is that I’ve traveled and lived over seas; I actually met my fiancé there and he is now living in Ohio with his son while we plan the wedding. His son goes to school here now actually, so if you find him you should definitely get to know him!”  
  
She sure could talk a lot. In his boredom, Liam’s attention trailed off and he began glancing around the shabby, white classroom. There were a few posters hanging about the walls and a painted red trim near the ceiling, but besides that the room was rather plain.

As the first chubby American student stood up to introduce himself, the black-haired boy who had delivered the attendance earlier caught his eye. He’d gotten back into the classroom a few minutes before and now was quietly but openly laughing with the skinny brunette boy sitting next to him. The boy with the shaggy brown hair pulled under a beanie had a rather feminine smile, but it was a smile that was contagious. He felt the corners of his own lips pulling up at the sight.

But the thing that really caught Liam’s eye and made him raise an eyebrow was the Attendance Boy’s hair. It seemed… completely gelled down into place. Like, _completely_ gelled. He didn’t even know they made bottles with that much gel in them – was this some American thing?

“Liam Payne?” Being shaken out of his reverie, Liam felt people start to look around the classroom with questioning looks in their eyes – they were all silently asking the same thing; who the hell was Liam Payne?  
  
”Uh… that’s me,” Liam stated, feeling ridiculously conspicuous with his thick accent in a room full of Americans.  
  
There was an awkward silence. Liam glanced back at the two laughing boys because he wasn’t sure what to do and they were both staring back at him interestedly, particularly the brunette in the hat. In fact, he seemed rather shocked.  
  
”Well hello, Mr. Payne. Would you like to introduce yourself to the class so we know where you get that lovely accent from?” Ms. Laney asked with a dazzlingly annoying smile on her otherwise pretty face.

“Uh…” he said again, “well, I suppose if I must.” 

Liam flushed as he stood up and felt like he had a million eyes on him. He never did well with an audience.

“Name’s Liam,” he managed out of his mouth. “I’m from Wolverhampton in England. Just moved to Ohio with my family. And uh…” Damn! He couldn’t remember what else he was supposed to say. Too many people were staring at him, and Ms. Laney’s eyes were too wide with all of her energy and just, damn!  
  
From the left side of the room, a soft voice spoke up.  
  
“Interesting facts,” it said. Liam turned his head and saw it was coming from the skinny brunette. And he had an _accent_. Was it real or was he being made fun of? He couldn’t be too sure. He’d always been under the impression that Americans were a bit arrogant, so it wouldn’t surprise him if he was trying to take the mickey out of him. 

“Interesting facts,” the brunette boy said again, accent just as present. He looked like he was trying to determine whether Liam was mental or something. But the accent didn’t _sound_ fake. “You’re supposed to say two interesting bits of information about yourself.”  
  
Oh. Oh yeah.

“Oh, well I, uh… I have a dog named Simon. Brought him with me from England. He’s a basset hound.”  
  
The brunette boy had seemed to pick up on the fact that Liam wasn’t mental, just extremely nervous and he gave him a small smile and an encouraging nod.

This boy was trying to help him out!  
  
But shit, he had to come up with something else interesting about himself.

Liam racked his brains, but was finding it hard to come up with anything. Almost in desperation he blurted out, “I like to sing.”

What the hell was that? Singing wasn’t something he talked about doing in public. But now was too late to take it back.

“I mean… yeah, I uh, like to sing a lot too,” Liam could feel his face becoming more and more red, “To, you know… pass the time. When I’m bored. Just for fun. But yeah. That’s it.”

Liam took one more awkward look around the room, seeing an amused smirk on both the brunette boy and the gelled boy’s faces, and then sat back down faster than he ever had in his life in his uncomfortable chair. He pulled into the desk, putting his burning red face into his hands. He was never going to be able to come back to this class again. He was too embarrassed.

“Well, it is so great to have you in Ohio, Mr. Payne. I really hope you’ll enjoy it here! And I’ll have to let my soon to be step son know you’re from out of the country as well, you two could become friends. He enjoys singing too. You should keep an eye out for him, his name is Zayn!”

***************************************************************************************

As Liam was walking to lunch from fourth period calculus, he heard Attendance Boy jogging to catch up to him before he saw him.

“Hey… hey man! Wait up!” The short boy called, trailing behind.  
  
Liam cautiously turned his head – unsure why this boy was following him in the halls of his new high school – and then turned around and kept walking. Had Liam offended him in some way? No, he didn’t seem hostile. What did he want, then? His reflexes told him to spin around and throw a punch before he was the one being hit, but he didn’t want to get expelled on his first day.

Attendance Boy finally caught up to Liam and placed his hand on his shoulder, causing him to jerk away. “Hey, Liam, right? I’m Blaine. I’m in your chemistry class…?” he added when Liam still looked a little lost.

He wasn’t lost of course. He just didn’t know what the hell this boy wanted.

“Yeah, sorry… I uh – I know who you are.” Liam said. And then in true awkward fashion, he turned around and continued walking towards the cafeteria without so much as a see you later. At least he thought he was headed towards the cafeteria… he could be going in the completely opposite direction for all he knew. This school was apparently undergoing budget cuts and so the front office hadn’t been able to give him a map. But he needed to meet his brother so Harry didn’t think he’d been ditched. Liam continued on despite the imminent threat of becoming lost.

“Liam, wait!” Blaine called out again, still trying to catch up with the taller boy. “I was going to ask if maybe you wanted to sit with me and some friends at lunch? I know how rough being new can be. It helps to know people.”  
  
Blaine had caught up to him for the second time. He took a step in front of him and held out his hand to shake Liam’s. Liam didn’t know whether to take it or not. He still wasn’t sure what to make of this gel soaked mess of a person. But first things first, Liam wanted to ask some questions. 

“Did that boy sitting next to you today – Leroy… Larry…”

“Louis,” Blaine hurriedly supplied, leaving his hand out where it was, smiling warmly.

“Yeah, him. Did he… What I mean to ask is… Was he making fun of me?” Liam finally managed to get out. “With that accent?”

The shorter boy’s hand dropped a bit, “Louis? No way! Louis isn’t that kind of person. He actually moved here last year from England, just like you. It seems McKinley has been a popular destination for foreign students recently.” Blaine said shrugging as he continued to smile.  
  
Liam took a deep breath and a relieved smile slid onto his face. For some unknown reason, he felt like he could trust the boy in front of him. And this was cool! There was somebody else here who knew what he was going through. It could make the transition easier for both him and Harry. 

“Oh. Well cool, then.” He finally took the hand that was still limply hanging in front of him and shook it. “It’s good to meet you, Blaine.”

“It’s swell to meet you too, Liam. And you should know that I’m very aware of what it feels like to be picked on. I actually moved to McKinley a few years ago to get away from bullying at my old school.” A quick dark look passed over his face as if he was remembering something painful. “Still get crap here sometimes, but it’s not nearly as bad.”

“So, does this mean we’ll have the honor of your presence at lunch?” Blaine suddenly changed the subject. He was shaking his head slightly as if shaking away an unpleasant memory. He looked up at Liam with an apologetic look on his face. Was he embarrassed about getting picked on or the fact that he'd been caught remembering it?

Liam thought about it for a second and nodded as they started to walk again, heading towards the cafeteria with fresh smiles on their faces.

“But I’m going to have to find my brother first, he has the same lunch as me. I don’t want him sitting by himself.”

“You have a brother?” Blaine asked.

“Yeah, a twin actually. Not identical though.” Liam smiled. Even though he knew twins were not an uncommon thing in the world, people always had the same reaction when he said he was one. Their eyebrows always shot up in surprise and they began looking around as if trying to find Liam’s copy nearby, like Blaine was doing now.

“His name’s Harry,” Liam chuckled and kept walking with his new friend. “I’ll introduce you.” And then he made a decision. Maybe it was rash and not thought out, maybe it would alienate his new friend, but he was curious and something in him wanted to know… Besides, he seemed open enough so far.

“Hey, Blaine? Can I ask you a question? You can say no if you want…” Liam said, rubbing his hand on his neck because he wasn’t even sure why he was doing this.

Blaine just nodded his head saying, “ Yeah, sure,” and then looking up at him expectantly. 

"It’s just that… well, I used to get picked on a bit. Back in England. And not a bit. By a bit I mean a lot. I know I got messed with because… well, it’s a long story. But they had their reasons however stupid they were. But you… you just seem so put together and _nice_.” Liam was rambling, and he knew it. He needed to get to his point, but what if he hit a nerve? He still didn’t even know exactly why he was asking, but bullying… it was a subject he always held close to his heart. He always felt upset when he found out someone else had been bullied as well.

“What could they have possibly had against you? Why would a person mess with someone like you?”

Liam really was stumped. The kids back at his school had been pricks and they made it clear that they thought he was a freak because of his kidney condition. He missed school a lot and whenever he actually managed to show up, he usually looked like hell. It obviously wasn’t his fault… but that didn’t stop the other students from calling him names and making jokes behind his back, sometimes even shoving him into walls and pretending like they hadn’t seen him. At first it had made him angry – it wasn’t something that he could control. He didn’t choose to have medical problems. He didn’t _want_ them. Sometimes he would get so mad he’d punch his bedroom walls and he had even broken a knuckle one time (that had been difficult to explain to his mum). He just didn’t understand how somebody could be so insensitive as to judge someone for something they couldn’t even control. Something that could literally kill him if he wasn't extremely careful. 

Luckily, Harry had always escaped being picked on, which Liam was grateful for. Everyone liked Harry; he was goofy, got along well with people and always had girls wanting to date him. He tried to stop what happened to Liam, tried to protect him as much as he could. But there was only so much his brother could do, and the rest Liam had to make up for by learning to fight back – literally. He’d started taking boxing lessons when he turned 14 years old and now two years later, he could protect himself against any idiot who messed with him.

Blaine didn’t seem deterred by the question though. He just smiled at Liam, although it was a tight smile, and flat out told him,

“I’m gay. Being nice doesn’t seem to make much of a difference to people when you’re a boy who likes other boys.” He shrugged.

Gay. Oh. Okay. So that hadn’t been what Liam was expecting, but it wasn’t as if he minded. He had gay friends. He got on really well with them all. Blaine was still the nicest person he’d met at this school and the only one who had attempted to be his friend. It didn’t change Blaine as a person.

He realized his pause after Blaine’s admission might have been taken the wrong way and he didn’t want his new, and only, friend to think he was disgusted or anything. 

“You know, I don’t mind. You’re still the only person here who’s been even a little bit nice to me. Unless you count Ms. Laney and she seems a little off to me so I don’t think I do,” Liam said as he patted Blaine on the shoulder. Blaine laughed back at him and Liam was relieved that he was still going to have somewhere to sit at lunch. But his admission had brought about another question in his mind.

“So… is Louis your boyfriend, then?”

At this, Blaine whipped around with wide eyes.

“Tommo? Louis _Tomlinson,_ my boyfriend?” Blaine busted out laughing – no, more like guffawing – and it startled Liam so that he jumped a little. What the…? He hadn’t realized he’d said anything funny.

Liam honestly didn’t think it was that outrageous of a claim. Louis had been wearing these red skinny pants and a thin striped t-shirt, and that beanie looked too stylishly placed on his perfectly tousled hair that had been peeking out underneath. Maybe this was Liam being a little stereotypical but… 

 _Tight red pants_. Come on. Was he the only one who thought that was kind of a dead give away?

Blaine wiped away a stray tear that was rolling down his now pink face and he was still struggling to catch his breath. “Oh god, that was a good one. Louis… Oh my god. No, absolutely not.”  
  
Liam suddenly felt really embarrassed. He felt his face turn red. He _had_ been just stereotyping. God, he felt like a prick! What was wrong with him? First day at an American school and already he was calling people gay.

“Oh god, I’m really sorry, I just thought… I mean, the red pants and the, well, _really girly_ qualities… Not that he looks like a girl! No, that’s not what I meant at all! I just mean… feminine mouth… oh god…” He was rambling again, and he knew it but he just couldn’t stop and oh god, he was even doing it in his mind, shut up Liam SHUT UP.  
  
”Liam, you seriously need to calm down,” Blaine said, laughing still. 

Oh, that was rich. _He_ needed to calm down. If anyone needed to calm down, it was obviously Blaine with all of his hysterics, laughing at Liam’s expense.

“I take it back, Blaine. You’re not nice. Not at all.”  
  
Of course, he just laughed some more.

“Seriously though, you’re not the first person to think that about Louis. But he’s not my boyfriend. Louis… well I have my suspicions about him, but he still needs to work things out for himself.”

Well that was cryptic. Did that mean Louis was gay or not? 

Liam decided not to think about it – he still felt bad for judging the boy in the first place. He wasn’t going to force Louis into a label when he hadn’t even met the guy.

The laughter from Blaine had died out, with the faintest traces of it still visible on his face.

“I do have a boyfriend though, named Kurt.” At the mention of Kurt, Blaine’s face softened and Liam could see the absolute adoration that was written all over the place. Whoever this Kurt was, it didn’t take a genius to know that to Blaine, he hung the moon and the stars and now lives among them.

“We both sing in the glee club here at school; that’s where I met him. But you –“ he pointed at Liam, “ – will be meeting him in about two minutes in the cafeteria. This way, good sir.” Blaine said, ushering him into the jungle where they would be eating lunch.

Liam’s eyes got wide as he looked around. Maybe it was just him, but Americans were just so _loud_. It was almost overwhelming. How the hell was he going to find Harry in this chaos?

******************************************************************

It actually only took about two and a half minutes to pick out the curly mess that was Harry’s head in the crowded lunch room. But it took at least five more after that to convince him that sitting with some new people wouldn’t be the end of the world. 

“Liam, I don’t want to.” Harry mumbled, brushing his hair so it fell just a little bit more in his face, like he was trying to hide himself. They were standing in a corner of the cafeteria and Liam took a second to just take a look at his brother. Black jeans, grey t-shirt, white converse; the signature ‘Harry Styles is a certified moody teenager’ look. But when Liam got to Harry’s face and looked beyond the veil of curls that fell over his features, he saw genuine unhappiness. His nostrils were flared and he wouldn’t make eye contact with his brother, no matter how hard Liam tried. 

Harry looked broken. It was the most pitiful thing Liam had ever seen and it broke his heart. But it also made him a little bit agitated because, really, what did Harry have to be that upset over?

“It’s not going to kill you to have a few friends, Harry. We’re stuck here in Ohio and there’s really nothing we can do about it, is there? So why not make the best of it?”

Liam pulled at his hair in frustration. It seemed like Harry was purposely trying to make things difficult for them in their new school. It wasn’t often Liam got truly upset at his brother but the fact that he was being so bloody belligerent, and had been for the past three months since it was decided they were to move to America, really got under his skin. 

“Now, I’m going to sit with Blaine whether you like it or not. You can either join me or go find somewhere else to sit. I love you, but you’re not dragging me down with you, Haz. I’m trying to move on with my life here.”

It was a lie, and Liam knew it; he would never have let his brother sit by himself in the mad house that was the cafeteria, but he wasn’t above trickery. It seemed to be enough of an incentive for Harry, anyway, because he rolled his eyes, let out a depressed sigh and muttered, “Well let’s go then.”

He could have sworn he also heard his brother call him a wanker under his breath, but he was going to let that slide. He’d just had a minor victory and that was enough for now. He’d figure out Harry’s pissy attitude later.

Over at the table Blaine had saved, there was only one other person already sitting down. He had perfectly styled brown hair that looked like it should win some kind of award. Liam had honestly never seen hair that perfect before.

The boy was dressed in some scary kind of outfit with knee high boots and what looked like about three different vests and there was definitely a bug (was it just a pin?) on the outside of one of the vests that looked like it could possibly eat him. He looked like he was wearing about a hundred different layers. How was this boy not dying of a heat stroke? From the way that Blaine was holding the unknown boy’s hand and looking at him with the same love struck look he’d worn in the hall earlier, Liam came to the conclusion that this had to be Kurt.

Almost as if his thoughts were being read –

“Hi, I’m Kurt Hummel, boyfriend of Blaine Anderson,” the boy bit out, shooting his hand towards Liam. Kurt looked very nice, but also very… snooty? Was that the word? Certainly not arrogant but – okay, so maybe a little bit arrogant. But he seemed nice enough and if he was dating Blaine then he had to be okay.

Shaking Kurt’s hand, Liam turned to make sure Harry hadn’t run away and hidden in the loo or driven himself off a cliff or something else completely overdramatic. Liam saw that one of Harry’s eyebrows was raised. Confusion was etched all over his face. Following Harry’s gaze, Liam landed on the hands that were being held in front of them by the couple at the table.

A myriad of things ran through Liam’s head.

_Harry was reacting this way to them being gay? He’d never seemed like that type of person before._

And the worst, _I feel like I don’t know my brother at all._

In that few seconds, Liam moved to sit down across from Blaine, mind reeling. Harry’s reaction was probably natural. He was really overwhelmed with the move and he didn’t seem to be adapting to the change. But there still seemed like there was some piece missing from the Harry puzzle… 

Kurt was the one to break the awkward silence that Harry’s staring seemed to cause.

“Cat got your tongue, stranger?”

Harry’s green eyes widened a fraction more, like he was a child caught stealing out of the biscuit tin.

“We’re not going to bite, you know. Unless you’re into that sort of thing, in which case I’m sure we can work something out,” Kurt said teasingly, adding a cheeky wink to show he was only joking. After a very long moment that had Liam shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Harry just nodded his head and hesitated to sit down, shooting his twin a look as if to make sure he was still there. Liam just gave him a ‘ _what is your problem_ ’ look in return.

Harry was just being rude now and Liam was getting fed up with the way he was treating his new friends, “This is my twin Harry, by the way. He’s shy.” Shy. Yeah, that was it. More like a prick.

Blaine spoke next, changing the subject.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Harry," he said quickly to be polite before turning to Liam. "So, Louis and I were talking in chemistry, after you said you liked to sing. We both think you should join the Glee club," Kurt looked up at Blaine while he was talking, clearly interested in what he was saying. 

"We're always looking for new members and if you can sing, then we can definitely use you." 

It still astounded Liam how friendly Blaine was being. And beside him, Kurt began nodding, adding on a "Yeah, that's a great idea."

Beside him, Liam felt Harry perk up a bit at the mention of singing. Liam knew he liked to sing as well and he was really good at it, with a deep, gravely voice that could send shivers down anyone's spine. If he were even a little bit interested, Liam would do his best to try and convince him to try it out. Maybe it would get him out of this stupid funk he was in.

Besides, it wouldn't hurt to be surrounded by a group of people who liked to do the exact thing that Liam liked to do. If they were all like Blaine, he would love it there.

This could be good for him and Harry both.

"Yeah, maybe I will. Harry sings too. Maybe we'll both try for it."

Harry tensed up beside him, giving him an incredulous look but he didn't say anything against the idea, so Liam decided he was going to run with it as long as he could.

"That's great, Liam! You should stop by tom-"

Blaine was interrupted by Kurt tapping him on the shoulder insistently. He broke off immediately, like if he didn't answer his boyfriend the second he demanded his attention, the world would spin off it's axis. It was actually quite sweet.

"Blaine, look at that blonde kid over there. He's sitting all by himself. Do you think he's new too?"

Liam took a moment to really appreciate that while Kurt was rather abrasive, he was clearly as caring as his boyfriend was before turning to look where he was pointing.

In the corner of the cafeteria sat a pale boy all alone, hair incredibly blonde - probably dyed. He was looking around uncomfortably as he stuffed half a sandwich into his mouth, turkey hanging from his lips as he wasn't really paying attention to where the food was flying. 

It made Liam sad to see him sitting alone. He felt himself wanting to go and give the blonde boy a hug, but he couldn't quite pin point why. Maybe it was because he looked so lonely and he had known what that felt like just a few hours earlier.

Briefly, in the boy's looking around and Liam's staring, the blonde boy's eyes caught his and they stayed locked that way for a few seconds. Liam felt caught, his eyes widening slightly, but he didn't want to look away. So he didn't.

It was the blonde boy who looked away first, lowering his sandwich for the first time and staring at it with his head down. Liam still looked on in that direction.

"Maybe we should see if he wants to sit over here," Liam offered, interested by boy that he knew absolutely nothing about. Besides, he knew how badly it sucked to not know anyone in a new school and if he could offer the friendly hand that Blaine had offered him earlier, he would.

"I think we should. Go get him Blaine, and bring him back!" Kurt said, sending his boyfriend away. Liam was a little disappointed. He had wanted to be the one to go get the blonde, but sooner than he'd been expecting, Blaine and the boy were back, hovering over the table.

Rather than Blaine introducing the new boy, the blonde spoke up upon arrival.

"Hi everyone. I'm Niall," he said quietly, a shy close-lipped smile gracing his face. His eyes flickered over to Liam and the Wolverhampton boy saw that they were the most brilliant shade of light blue.

It took a second for Liam to shake off the swirl of blue that had taken over his mind for a moment and realize that this boy had an accent too - only it wasn't British like his own was. It was very much Irish.

Liam was incredulous. How much diversity did this freaking school have??

Quickly, before anyone else could offer, Liam scooted over, pushing Harry over as well which earned him a jeering scoff, and offered the free spot up to Niall. Niall - that was a nice name. 

"I'm Liam Payne. You can sit next to me if you'd like." Liam held his hand out and Niall took it, shaking it as he sat down. They held eye contact again as they held onto each other's hands. Niall was like a magnet, pulling Liam into him; he felt like he wanted to know all about this Irish lad. Find out what went on in that blonde head of his, why he had come to Ohio, what his favorite food was, what he wanted to be when he grew up, if he liked to roller skate or not. He wanted to know all the irrelevant details of his life.

Liam realized after it was already too late that he had been holding onto Niall's hand for too long. But he had been distracted, he reasoned, it hadn't really been his fault. He dropped the other's hand with some effort and turned to see that the others had definitely noticed the strange behavior on his part.

On his left side, he heard Niall chuckle softly, very shyly; "Nice to meet you, Liam Payne."

Clearing his throat, Blaine interrupted the strange moment. "Niall, I was just saying to Liam and his brother Harry over there that they should come by the choir room tomorrow after school and audition for the Glee club. Well, I say audition, but we always let everybody in so I don't know how much of an audition it really is," he sort of trailed off in thought, as if he was just now really considering the fact that their 'auditions' are more or less rigged. He caught himself and continued. "You don't sing by any chance, do you?"

The first smile in which you could see teeth appeared on Niall's face. Liam saw that he was wearing braces, but it looked like it was about time they came off. And they didn't look bad. Rather adorable, actually.

"I do, yeah. And I play guitar. Used to play with my mates back home for fun," the blonde said, picking up the coke that he had brought over with him and taking a sip.

"That's fantastic! We could definitely use you! You should think about joining too!" The enthusiastic Blaine turned to Kurt, giving him a very quick peck on the lips. "Look at all this fresh talent I'm bringing in. Aren't you proud of me?"

Rolling his eyes but with a loving smile on his face, Kurt replied, "I’m always proud of you, Blainey."

At their interaction Niall's smile seemed to grow even wider until he looked goofily happy. Blaine noticed and hesitated before he asked, "What? Did we do something?"

Niall laughed. Laughter suited him, Liam concluded.

"No. Well, yes. I just think it's amazing, the way you two are."

Kurt narrowed his eyes at the boy, clearly not sure if the Irish lad was trying to make a gay joke or what his intent was. "Excuse me?" was all he said in an incredibly sweet voice that was laced with poison. It seemed to match Kurt perfectly and it made Liam realize how much he did not want Kurt as an enemy.

Seeming to catch how his words could have been taken, Niall stumbled a little at first as he tried to explain himself. 

"No! I just, I just meant that I think it's great you two are so… open? Yeah. Open. I could never be like that back in Ireland. I got so much shit when I would kiss my ex in public. It's just cool to see that it can be different here, that's all."

It took Liam a second to comprehend what the blonde had just said. Kissed his ex in public? But why would he get made fun of for that?

And then… and then it made sense. Niall had just outed himself without even batting an eye. Blaine and Kurt were beaming across the table at him, Harry's eyebrows were furrowed and he was staring incredibly hard at the table as if he were trying to burn a hole through it and Liam just sat there confused. He wasn't sure why he was confused. It didn't make sense to be, really. He wanted to be friends with Niall whether or not he was gay, because there was just something about him, some kind of energetic yet shy spark that drew people (or maybe it was just Liam?) in and Liam couldn't deny that he was intrigued by the boy. So he pushed his unwarranted confusion to the back of his mind to be examined later.

"That's really awesome, Niall. I really admire your courage. And if you ever need someone to have your back, I'll be there," Blaine said with a huge, proud smile still plastered on his face. He really was the absolute friendliest person to probably ever walk the earth.

"Eh. I figure there's no use denying who I am. I'm not gonna change, so why try? Anyway, can you tell me more about the auditions tomorrow?" Niall said, changing the subject easily as if his coming out hadn't been a huge deal. It sort of shocked Liam that it really hadn't been. Huh. Two people admitting to him today that they were gay and both times it had been so easy for them.

As Blaine, Kurt and Niall spoke about auditions, Liam took the opportunity to look over towards his brother to see how he was doing. What he saw disturbed him. His face looked more contorted than it had before, almost like Niall's confession had caused him physical pain.

Suddenly a thought dawned on Liam.

Holy crap, was his brother a homophobe? Is that what this was about? The thought kind of scared Liam. He'd never thought Harry to be the type, but he was acting so strangely, and he really couldn't think of any other explanation. 

He would have to ask him about that later. For now, he tuned back into the conversation going on around him. 

"…around 3:45 and you can sing us a song so we can all see what you've got to offer. And bring your guitar with you, it would be awesome if you could play for us as well." 

Liam took note of the time and quickly asked if Blaine could show him where the choir room was so that he wouldn't get lost trying to find it tomorrow.

"Sure thing, Liam. Bring Harry along tomorrow too, if you'd like. The more the merrier."

Harry looked up at the sound of his name and through his eyes, Liam could tell he was having an internal debate with himself. Probably over whether or not it would be worth it to do something that would make him happy or if he just wanted to stay miserable for the rest of his life. 

Liam decided it didn't really matter what Harry wanted on the matter. He was going to force his twin show up to auditions. The curly haired boy needed to do something fun that he loved doing and he obviously had a lot of issues that he needed to work out - music just might be able to help him do that. 

Liam found himself nodding in happiness as he turned and caught icy blue eyes looking at him intently.

****************************************************** 

As the last bell signaling the end of the school day rang, Liam found himself utterly exhausted. But through the tiredness, he found that it would have been difficult for him to be more happy on a first day in a new school. Things definitely could have gone a lot worse. 

He'd made friends - not just one, multiple with a plural 's' on the end - and people seemed to like him here in Ohio. Of course, they didn't know about his kidney problems yet and that might change things, but honestly, Blaine and Kurt didn't seem like the type to turn their back on you once they were your friend.

Maybe moving to Ohio wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Walking out the glass front doors of the school, Liam hoped that Harry could just find it in him to be happy. That was his one wish. For his twin to enjoy it here just as much as he was. He was going to do whatever he could to help Harry adjust and become himself again.

But first he needed to find out about and nip in the bud the seemingly homophobic behavior at lunch today. Whatever that was, whatever was going on in Harry's head… it needed to stop. Liam couldn't have his brother being a douche bag to his friends. He just wouldn't have it.

The final thought Liam had before he and Harry clambered into their little red car was about Niall. Niall was cool. He really hoped they could be friends. He was pretty sure they could be.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is sad and he gets caught being sad. By lots of people.

Harry hated Ohio. There was no way around it. He hated it with ever fiber of his being. He wanted to be back in cold, rainy England.

There was nothing for him here. His job at the bakery wasn't here. His friends weren't here.

_Trevor wasn't here._

Clenching his eyes shut, Harry automatically snapped the rubber band around his left wrist as he had taken to doing whenever he had a thought about Trevor. So far it wasn't working. His wrist was welted and red and his mind was still painted with brown hair and crooked teeth.

It was Tuesday, the second day of his new life at McKinley High School. It was rainy and overcast outside, probably just to spite Harry.

Harry sat in his second period French class not paying attention. He didn't need to anyway; everything the teacher - Harry couldn't be bothered to remember her name - said was remedial. Being in this class bored Harry to tears. He'd already worked ahead in the book all the way up to chapter three and they had only just begun the first one. 

He decided to take a nap. That would be more productive than listening to Mrs. What's-Her-Name. Resting his curly head on his crossed arms, Harry allowed his eyes to close.

He wasn't two minutes into his 'nap' when he felt something pokey being shoved into his arm and he looked up to find that Kurt guy from lunch yesterday (who of course sat in front of him in French class, _of course_ , because life couldn't be made too easy for Harry Styles) stabbing him with a folded up piece of paper.

Shooting a glare at the boy and rubbing his arm where he had been stabbed, Harry took the piece of paper from perfectly manicured hands. He looked down at it.

It was just a folded up piece of paper. There was no writing on the outside or anything. Looking back up at Kurt, Harry raised his eyebrows and lifted his hands as if to say 'what the actual fuck do you want me to do with this?' 

Kurt obviously wasn't fazed by Harry's behavior. He arched a shaped eyebrow and mouthed, "Open it." 

Grudgingly, Harry unfolded the paper. Inside was neat handwriting that made Harry's heart jump. He'd been caught.

 

_Why do you do that to your wrist?_

 

Shit. Nobody else had noticed, not even Liam. Harry felt embarrassed that he hadn't been able to hide it from a total stranger… not that he was trying particularly hard, but still.

Harry took out his pencil from his backpack and wrote back, his handwriting considerably messier: _That doesn't seem to be any of your goddamn business, does it?_

Kurt read the note, wrote again and then passed it backwards; the teacher was either completely oblivious or just didn't care that her students weren't paying attention to the lesson.

 

_You look sad._

 

That was all it said. Three words. And Harry didn't know why he let a stupid note from a boy who was practically a stranger bother him, but it did. Because he _was_ sad. He was so sad that he didn't know what to do.

But he didn't know Kurt and Kurt didn't know him and this wasn't his concern. He needed to butt out.

Harry also only scribbled three words. Three words that made Kurt glance back with a sad but determined look on his face. But he heeded what they said - at least for now.

 

_Leave me alone._

It seemed to be Harry's motto these days.

*******************************

The rest of Tuesday passed much the same as the day before; Harry sat, not paying attention in his classes, avoiding the attention of anyone around him. During the lunch period, he still felt uncomfortable and depressed.

It was so hard to sit there and watch Blaine and Kurt be in love. Be together. It just wasn't fucking fair.

Harry sat with Blaine, Kurt, Niall and Liam with his hands under the table, constantly flicking the rubber band against his raw wrist. He thought Kurt may have noticed but he couldn't bring himself to care.

But flicking wasn't helping today. It wasn't making Blaine or Kurt and their heart eyes go away and it wasn't bringing _him_ back and so he flicked harder and harder until he felt the rubber band actually snap in half and he could feel tears starting to form in his eyes. 

Not bothering to mention where he was going, Harry stood up, leaving his uneaten lunch and the questioning eyes now upon him and walked straight to the nearest boy's toilet.

Harry locked himself in the first stall and cried. He hadn't properly cried once sine they'd left Wolverhampton; not since the last time he'd seen Trevor, when he'd said goodbye.

The dam was already broken and so Harry thought why the hell not - he thought about Trevor. He _really_ thought about him. About how much he missed the goofy idiot, about how different his life was now since all he'd felt for a very long time was depression, about the first time he'd met Trevor and realized there was a spark.

Harry knew he was gay.

He wasn't proud of it, like Niall. He didn't flaunt it, like Blaine and Kurt. But he held it so close to him and he had chosen to share it with one other person, someone like him, someone who he found out he could give love and be given it in return - Trevor. 

And then all of that had come crashing down around him. Any hopes of a future with this amazing boy who made him laugh so much and so often, shattered.

Because they were moving to fucking Ohio.

He was so angry. So angry and so sad and Trevor had tried to hold him and kiss his lips and touch his tear-stained face and tell him it was okay, that he understood but Harry was such a mess that he knew the other boy'd had a hard time with it. It made Harry even more upset, sitting there in the bathroom stall, to think that he wasted their last moments together like that.

They hadn't even gotten to spend three months together. Harry had been ripped away from Trevor's grasp when they had barely had any time to even understand what it meant that they were two boys who loved each other.

And so here Harry was now, sobbing in a dirty bathroom, releasing all the emotions he'd been holding in. He felt pathetic. What would somebody think if they found him in this position –

"Hello?" 

Harry's heart stuttered. Somebody was in here with him. Somebody with a fragile, dainty voice, not quite as feminine as Kurt's.

He didn't know what to do. He supposed he could lift his feet up and try to hide himself from whoever was looking, but they had obviously heard him crying like a toddler and so that would just make him feel like a git.

So he stood up and walked out of the stall. He didn't try to hide his face - whoever it was out there already knew he was crying - but he walked as quickly and directly towards the door as possible, avoiding eye contact with whoever the stranger was.

Harry made it out the door in record time, but not before briefly noting that whoever it was wondering around and being nosy in the loo was wearing suspenders attached to his khaki skinny pants and striped shirt - honestly, who wore suspenders anymore unless you were 98 years old? Americans these days. 

Letting the door slam shut behind him, Harry headed to the only place he knew he could completely be alone and not have to deal with odd stares and questions.

Outside in the parking lot, Harry unlocked his and Liam's car that their mum made them share and crawled into the back seat, laying down so as to avoid being seen by any wondering passerby's. He didn't want to be found. He was just going to spend the rest of the day out here, skipping his completely pointless classes. He was probably smarter than all the teachers put together, anyway. The adults here all seemed really stupid. 

Harry knew Liam was going to be looking for him but Harry couldn't really bring himself to be bothered. His twin would come the car eventually after school was done and he was ready to leave, and Harry would still be here, waiting.

He just hoped whatever dumb glee meeting thing he was planning to go to wouldn't take long. He also really hoped Liam didn't find him in time to force him to go.

*************************************

Liam found him.

Right after the last bell of the day rang out, Harry was jolted awake from his restless nap by angry beating on the back windows. Liam was standing outside the tinted glass and he did not look pleased at all.

The twin unlocked the doors with his automatic clicker and ripped the back door open, not wasting any time before he started in yelling at Harry, frightening the curly headed, half asleep boy. 

"I've been looking for you everywhere! And I find you sleeping in the back seat of our car? You had me worried sick, Harry! You went running out of the cafeteria looking like someone just told you Molly died and then you just disappear for the entire day without letting anyone know where you were going and I find you out here skipping class! It is our second day at a new school, Harry, you can't just run off and skip as you please, that's not something you can bat your eye lashes and get away with -"

Harry was honestly shocked. Liam had never gone off on him like this. He hadn't thought Liam _capable_ of going off on anyone like this.

Guilt began bubbling in his stomach because he really must have upset his brother… and what astounded Harry was that he actually _cared_. Before today, something like this wouldn't have bothered him because he was numb to any emotions.

Maybe the crying had changed things. He wished it hadn't, because he didn't like the way Liam's screaming was making him feel. 

"And I'm just so sick and tired of you doing this, Harry! You are making this transition so hard on everyone, on me and mum, and we just want to make things better for you, but we don't know how because you won't even _communicate_ with us!! How do you think that makes us feel?! We are your family and we can't even talk to you or help you or do anything for you! It's just… ugh, it's just so selfish of you. Why are you doing this?"

Liam seemed to lose steam towards the end of his rant and he broke down a little bit, slumping against the car and closing his eyes. 

"I'm sorry, Harry. Really I am, I just don't understand. And you won't help me to understand. So I'm left standing in the dark, having to worry about whether you disappearing means you've gone and offed yourself. 

That stung. It cut Harry deeper than he would ever admit. Had he really been that bad?

He knew he'd been depressed, pushed people away a little bit, but he'd never once contemplated suicide. He would never, _ever_ do that.

Not after their father had left them that way when they were just 6 years old; leaving two little boys to wonder if it had somehow been their fault, if they could have done something to stop it.

Had he put Liam right back in that same position?

For the second time that day, Harry felt tears threatening to overwhelm him. The memory of his father on top of Trevor… it was all just too much for one day. 

"I'm so sorry, Liam. I didn't realize…" Harry said. It was all he could say because he was truly at a loss for words. 

He hated himself for what he'd done to his brother, and probably his mum as well, all because he'd been too caught up in himself to notice. He'd been so numb to the world, he couldn't even tell he was demolishing all the relationships he held.

And it crushed Harry because Liam didn't even look mad at his lackluster apology, and he didn't happily accept it like he usually would have, he just looked… defeated. Disappointed. And Liam had not once in his life looked disappointed in Harry. His brother was usually his biggest supporter, no matter how in the wrong Harry was. 

Liam shook his head and pushed himself off the car where he was leaning, resignation splashed across his tired face. "Yeah okay, it's fine, Harry. Are you coming to glee tryouts?" 

That also caused a pang inside of Harry because earlier Liam hadn't been asking. He'd been _telling_ Harry he was going to Glee whether he liked it or not. It spoke volumes that he was now giving him the option. Like he didn't believe Harry would actually do it and he just couldn't be bothered to care anymore. 

And if it had been any other day before this one, Harry wouldn't have gone. He would have locked himself back inside the car and waited for Liam to come back, not caring what damage that might have caused because his indifference hadn't really affected him while he was unaware of the damage it caused.

But today he was a different person. It was like the broken rubber band now lying somewhere in the empty halls of McKinley had released him, broken him out of his reverie. He was truly aware for the first time in ages. And he couldn't let Liam down, not anymore.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I will."

To say Liam was shocked was an understatement. His jaw dropped and his eyes darted back and forth as if looking to see if he was being pranked, if the ball was going to drop and Harry was going to revert back into the sullen, moody version of himself again.

But Harry just climbed out of the back seat and asked Liam, "Should we get going, then?"

Walking with Liam back into the school and through the unfamiliar halls was awkward. Neither of them were talking. Harry was trying really hard to think of something to say, but his mind was coming up blank.

He almost told a really good knock knock joke but then he stopped. Maybe it was too soon for jokes.

Liam led them to what could only be the school's choir room, which was filled with students - it was mass chaos.

There was a very fit lad with just a single strip of hair flexing his muscles, trying to impress a dark skinned girl in a cheerleaders outfit who was not buying it. 

On the other side of the room there was a short girl in an awful sweater and knee socks yelling in an extremely scary and seemingly abusive way at a male who looked twice her size and completely clueless. 

Near the screaming girl, an Asian boy was doing some odd dancing thing that made Harry question whether or not his joints were entirely human. Right next to him, a blonde girl, also in a cheerleader outfit, was sitting on the lap of a wheelchair bound boy poking his nose and asking why it didn't grow when he told a lie.

There were more people milling around, some that he recognized like Blaine, Kurt and Niall, and others that were completely unfamiliar.

It was all a bit overwhelming.

Just then, someone who looked old enough to possibly (hopefully) be a teacher walked in with a briefcase. His hair was incredibly curly and well-gelled into place, though it had nothing on Blaine's.

And Harry had thought _he_ had curly hair.

"Guys, guys, settle down! Rachel, stop yelling at Finn. I'm sure he's sorry for whatever he did," the teacher (Harry was just going to assume he was the teacher) said rather loudly so as to be heard over the students. 

Over in the corner, the screaming girl in the ugly sweater looked affronted and the tall boy, Finn he guessed, was nodding his head enthusiastically, stealing the teacher's apology and making it his own.

Just then, Blaine stood up from the chair he had been calmly sitting in next to his boyfriend and cleared his throat, demanding the attention of everyone in the room.

The teacher asked, "Did you have something to say, Blaine?"

"Yes, Mr. Schue. I just wanted to point out that we have a lot of fresh faces in here today," Blaine pointed at Liam, Niall and Harry. "They're new here and friends of mine who like to sing. So I asked if they would like to join us here in glee and they said yes!" Blaine was rocking on his heels, and clapping his hands together in excitement.

"Ah - actually, I'm new too," came a voice from the more crowded side of the room. It was a dark-skinned boy Harry hadn't noticed earlier and the spoke very clearly with a British accent, although it was a bit different from his own.

"My name's Zayn." 

Harry saw Liam light up with recognition, but Harry didn't know from what as he was pretty sure neither of them knew the boy. He also saw the Hispanic cheerleader disengage completely from the mohawked boy still hitting on her and look at Zayn with an interested eyebrow raised. 

"Well this is fantastic, guys. I'm proud of you Blaine for taking the initiative," the teacher said. He rounded on the four new boys, "And welcome to glee club! Hopefully you've heard good things about us. We all try to be nice so you four should fit right in."

Just as the curly haired adult was starting to smile at the new students, a recognizable voice came from the doorway behind them but Harry wasn't sure where he recognized it from.

Also, it was laced with an accent. Shit, how many foreign people were in this school and why were they all in glee club? Was this where they congregated?

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Schuester. Got held up by Ms. Sylvester asking how long it took me to turn myself into a boy every morning. I don't understand that woman sometimes…"

The voice trailed off because at that moment, Harry had turned around to see who the voice belonged to and he locked shocked eyes with the voice's owner. 

It was the boy.

The boy from the bathroom that was wearing those ridiculous suspenders and had hair that looked perfectly wind swept, like he'd been on an ocean shore all day. 

Could this day get any worse or more embarrassing?

"That's okay, Louis. We were just introducing the new kids," the teacher, Mr. Schuester, said. Suspender Boy, who Harry now knew was called Louis, nodded and struggled to break eye contact with the boy he'd seen crying in the bathroom earlier. His mouth was slightly open and his brows were crinkled together and he looked almost concerned as he sat down in an empty seat next to Blaine.

Harry scoffed internally. Who was this kid? He didn't have a right to be concerned about Harry. He didn't even know Harry.

It annoyed the curly headed lad, but not for the reasons he was telling himself. It annoyed him because he had been caught in that volatile position and this boy was the only person who had seen Harry in that fragile state. This boy had the power to let everyone know what he'd seen and then everyone - including Liam… _especially_ Liam - would start to ask questions that he didn't want to answer. He wasn't ready to answer them.

Mr. Schuester spoke again. "Now usually we'd have each of you sing a song for us but since there's four of you and we're kind of pressed for time… Well, I hate to ask, but would it be possible for you all to sing together?"

The four new boys turned to look at each other. They didn't even really know each other, how were they supposed to sing together?

But Harry remembered what Blaine had said about everyone being allowed into glee club no matter how bad their auditions were and so he supposed it didn't really matter anyway.

"I have some sheet music they can use if they like, Mr. Schue. I was planning on singing it at some point by myself, but it might be more useful here." 

Of course it was Suspender Boy - Louis, Harry had to remind himself again - who had spoken up. Why couldn't he just sit back in a corner and let Harry ignore him like he so badly wanted to? No, he just had to come to the rescue and stick his perfectly attractive nose into everything.

"That's really nice of you, Louis, but I hate that you won't get the opportunity to sing your song," Mr. Schuester said, looking like this was actually troubling him.

"Why doesn't Louis just sing with them, Mr. Schue? He always sounds best when he's back up, anyway," the scary brunette girl that had been screaming before stated matter of factly.

Harry honestly couldn't believe his ears. Was this girl serious? She had to be. Her face showed she meant business and her tone hadn't been mocking, just genuine. She had seriously just insulted someone to their face and was clearly not bothered by it. What a bitch. 

Suspender Boy didn't look insulted though. He just rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulder as if in agreement that he would sing with the four other boys. He walked over and stood beside them.

"Here, I think I have enough copies. Someone might have to share."

Liam and Niall ended up sharing, something that neither of them looked too upset over. Harry had seen the way they'd looked at each other yesterday at lunch when they were shaking hands, and they seemed to get on really well. But whatever was happening between them, Harry decided it was none of his business and he wasn't going to pry. He'd let Liam do his own thing.

Louis had given his copy of the sheet music to the bearded piano player - who had seemed to appear out of thin air - because he already knew the song well and as the music started playing, Harry realized he recognized the melody.

At first, all the boys started signing together almost awkwardly. Each voice was different - Liam's: smooth, Niall's: intriguing, Zayn's: powerful, Louis': vulnerable, and Harry's own was… well, just Harry's. He didn't think there was anything particularly special about it, he just knew people told him it sounded alright sometimes.

 

_I thought I saw a girl brought to life_

_She was warm she came around_

_She was dignified_

_She showed me what it was to cry_  

_You couldn't be that girl I adored_

_You don't seem to know or seem to care_

_What your heart is for_

_But I don't know her anymore_

The music washed over Harry like a warm bath. Singing was something he hadn't done in a long time, not since he'd left Trevor behind in another country. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it.

And the song itself hit so close to home for Harry… it reminded him of himself. He had changed so much, just like the girl in the song. Harry didn't want to be that person anymore.

The five boys singing had all at some point made eye contact and seemed to be able to non-verbally communicate with extremely directed eye points that each person would get a chance to sing on their own and Zayn was to be first. Then Liam sang, and then Niall and then it was Harry's turn.

 

_I'm all out of faith_

_This is how I feel_

_I'm cold and I am shamed_

_Lying broken on the floor_

_Illusion never changed_

_Into something real_

 

Here, Suspender Boy joined in and harmonized with Harry. They sounded perfect together, if he was quite honest with himself. Harry's rich voice seemed made to sing with this boy's higher pitched, beautifully strained one.

_I'm wide awake and I can see_

_The perfect sky is torn_

 

Louis took over the ending of the song by himself here. It wasn't very long of a section, but it was enough.

 

_You're a little late_

_I'm already torn_

And the scary short girl could not have been more wrong about his vocal abilities. Harry stood in awe of the boy's voice. He should never be singing back up, no, everyone in this room should be singing back up to him - how could anybody think differently?

Harry forgot he was annoyed and upset with the boy for walking in on him crying because he hadn't realized someone could sound that way when they sang. So full of emotion and vulnerable and just so passionate. 

The song ended and Harry had to force himself to look away from the boy in the suspenders. The fact that this boy with perfect hair could single handedly ruin him came rushing back to his mind. It clashed horribly with the fact that Harry seemed inexplicably drawn to Louis.

But then he thought of Trevor...

He shook his head; this was just because of his voice. Harry was just drawn to Louis' voice because he was an exceptionally good singer, and that was it. Nothing more.

Suddenly around him, all the people sitting down who had been listening started clapping. Blaine and Kurt even stood up and cheered a little bit. Harry figured that was a good sign.

Clapping along with the students, Mr. Schuester stepped forward. "Wow. Just wow, guys. That was great. Glee club is lucky to have you."

The four new boys and Louis all turned to look at each other, smiling. Liam had thrown an arm around Niall and was jostling him playfully. Zayn went to shake hands with Mr. Schuester. And Harry was left to turn and look right into the gaze of Suspender Boy.

The pretty blue eyes looking at him still held a tiny bit of concern and Harry could tell that the boy wanted to ask what had happened earlier in the loo. He hoped and prayed and wished that he wouldn't. Please, just let this boy have an ounce of mercy.

Louis swallowed back words and stuck out his hand to Harry. The curly headed boy sighed in relief and took the thin hand in his own.

_Thank you, thank you so much_ Harry tried to convey in the single handshake and in the way he looked at Suspender Boy.

"I'm Louis. You're an absolutely incredible singer. And you're also not from Ohio."

Harry blushed at the compliment but hoped Louis couldn't tell. And the last part of that hadn't been a question, but the way Louis said it made it clear that he wanted to learn more about the boy he was shaking hands with.

"Yeah, I'm Harry. Thanks. You too, you know. You're good. Really good. _I_ don't think you should be singing back up. And no… no I'm not."

They dropped each other's hands and after an awkward second, they both turned back around to face their seated peers.

From the back row, the Hispanic cheerleader called out, "I just wanted to let you five know that you sounded like a weird British boy band."

Everybody in the class turned to look at her to see if she was going to continue.

"And it was pretty dope."

Everybody laughed and most nodded in agreement. The cheerleader's eyes lingered on Zayn and before she turned around, Harry could have swore he saw her wink at the boy. He almost laughed at the forwardness.

_'American girls,'_ he thought, shaking his head in amusement.

It took him a second to realize that this was the first time in a long time that he was actually smiling. He looked up to find his twin had noticed Harry's change as well.

Liam had the brightest smile on his face that Harry had ever seen. His arm was still resting over Niall's shoulders. It looked like it belonged there.


End file.
